Car-door-operating mechanism



L. LPENNY.

CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 3.1920.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEE'I 1.

L. T. PENNY.

CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLlCATION HLED MAR. 3, 1920.

1,393,959. Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

2 SHEETS SHEE 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC LOIil'N IE THOMAS PENNY, F RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLIN maroon-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed March a,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LONNIE T. PENNY, acitizen of the United States, residin at Raleigh, in the county of Wake and tate of North Carolina,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door- Operating Mechanism; and I, do hereby declare the following'to be a full, clear, and

"exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

his invention rel-ates to improvements in I sliding doors for railway cars, or more es pecially to doors for freight cars, cattle cars and other similar structures.

eretofore, in the operation of o ening and closing the sliding doors of freight cars or similar structures with door opening and closing means 0 erable only from the exterior, considera le difficulty has been experi enced. In the ordinary typefof car door in. use at the present time the sliding door is supported at the top by means of wheels I upon a track and is held in position at'the bottom by a series of two or more L-shaped retaining means and is fastened in a closed position by only one device and this is hand operated. The above ty e of door has in practice. proven very ine cient, having developed various defects, such as 'umping the track, becomin jammed,-warpe ,swinging out at the ase, and failing to be feadily secured, with consequent financial oss.

Various attempts have been made to simpli the operation of the above type of cum rsome car door, such as the provision. of leverage means whereby the door may be operated with a smallerdegree of physical strength-as well as the substitution of other types of doors but only a very slight degree of success has heretofore been attained.

The objects of my invention are to overcome'the foregoing difiiculties and, to provide simple, efliclent and reliable means whereb the operation of a car door is rendered t e subject of but a moments attention and then with the expenditure of only thesmallest amount of energy.

Other objects of my invention are to provide improved means for mounting a car door for lengthwise movement, to aid. in

whereby the door the operation of the door, to provide an automatically operated latch for holding thedoor in a closed posit on and a second means W111 remain locked in a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

1920. Serial N0. 362,960.

closed position if the latch becomes for reason broken or inoperative.

he invention will first be hereinafter described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specificatlon, and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

n said drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a freight car provided with a door in open position and mounting, securing, locking and operating 'ance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a like view with the door in a closed, locked position and with portions of the'upper and lower retaining means broken away.

F g. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view looking in the direction of the arrows, on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the position of the supporting wheels withireference to the U-shaped retaining track when the door is in a locked position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view looking in the direction of the arrows on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a like View on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the stop' engaging means for maintaining the door in a closed posie tion';

Fig. 6 is an end view of the latch fastening} means in the position shown in Fig. 2. e erring to said drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used to designate corresponding parts throughout the difi'erent views, 1 indicates-the wall or side of a freight carto which is rigidlyv attached a retainin plate 2, by means of a series of .braces 3. etween this retaining plate and the side of the car is located a track 4, U-

any

shaped in cross section which serves as the' retaming means for the disk wheels 5 which support by means of T-shaped braces 6, the door 7, of the car 1. The track; ispivotally mounted upon a series of boltyeXtensions 8, which serve as bearin the links 9. Near the end of t e U-shaped track, over which the; door, is supported When in a closed positionyis a stud 4' which serves as a wheel contactin ering the track when the a closed position Twostop members 4" shafts for means-forlow: oor is moved to located beneath the U-shaped track adjacent each end thereof serve to (prevent-the track from being loweredheyon point. Pivotedatfthe end of the U-shaped a predetermined Also located at track 4 by means of a bolt or rivet '10 is a lever 11 fulcrumed upon a stud 12 which is fixed to the side of the car, The lever 11 has a longitudinal slot 13 which allows a reciprocating play, one end of which slot is eccentrically enlargedto serve as aretainin means for the stud 12 to prevent the pivota lymounted track from jarring to a position which will free the wheels supporting the door. Attached to the door of the car are a series of stop members 14 which are positioned behind a second series of stop members 15, carried by the retaining plate 2 when the door is in a closed position. At the center of the door adjacent the bottom thereof is attached a member 16, the outwardly extended portion of ,WlllCl'l is adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the retaining plate 2 to'support the door 7 when the same is in a closed position, thereby freeing the disk wheels 5 from the weight of the door. A second retaining plate 17 sufiices to maintain the'top or the door in proper position when the same is open or closed. A handle 18 is located near the center of the door directly above the member' 16. A. second handle 19 is located near the inner side of the door adapted for use in operating the door as is also the handle 18. Pivotally supported in the U-shaped end of a member 20 aiiixed to the door is a latch 21 which projects beyond the inner edge of the door at a oint near the center thereof, said latch. having an outwardly extended portion 22 (as best seen in Fig. 6) said shoul er 2%.. In coiiperative relationship with the latch 21, and at a suitable distance from one side of the door opening is a catch 25 havin a, cam face 26 and a cut away portion 2% (as seen in Fig, 6) adapted to be engaged by the shoulder 24 of the latch 21. one side of the door opening is a member 28 which has a tapered end 29 sition notwithstandin the edge of the door closed position servfrom bulgis applied which rojects over when t e same is in a ing to keep the edge of the door ing outwardl when pressure from the insi e of the car.

The door is very simple and e-fiicient in its operation for when. it is in an open pothe position of the latch 21, force applie to the handle 18 or 19 in the direction of the opposite door facing will cause the door, supported by means of the l -shaped brackets 6 upon the disk wheels 5, to ride'along the U-shaped track t and upon the contacting of the pin t by the forward disk wheel the track is thrown to a lowered position (as seen in Fig, 2); the latch at the same time having ridden over the catch 25 by means of the cam faces 23 and 26 respectively, and

securely locked, and the stops it having oome to a posi'ion directly behind the corwater, snow or the like,

portion having a cam face 23, and a responding stops 15, thus securing the door in a doub 'locked position while the same is supported upon the plate 2 by means of the member 16 attached to the door.

Located along the bottom of the U-shaped track are a series of apertures 30 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, adapted to allow which may have collected in said track, an exit.

Having thus described my mvention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In combination, a car door, supporting,

-retaining and locking means therefor, said supporting means comprising rollers, means engaging said rollers for elevating and lowering the supporting means, and a. further means whereby the 'door is prevented from being opened until said supporting means is in an elevated position.

2, In combination, a car door, supporting and retaining means therefor, said supportmg means comprising rollers, means engaging said rollers for elevating and lowering said door, and a further means whereby the door is prevented from being opened until it is in an elevated position.

3,111 combination a car door, a latch thereon, wheels supporting said door, a track supporting said wheels and pivotally mounted upon bearing bolts, means whereby the track is lowered in a parallel manner when the door is moved to a closed position and a second means whereby the track is elevated in a parallel manner to. open the door and a rest upon said door for supporting the same when the-door is closed, and a further means for preventing the opening of the door when the track is in a lowered position;

4:, In combination with a car door, upper and lower retaining means, a pivotally mounted U-shaped track supporting the rollers of the door, stop members carried by said door adapted to contact corresponding stop members carried by the lower reretaining means when the track is lowered from under the wheels of the door, handles for opening and closing the door and athird the door upon the lower.

retainin means ada ted to prevent the door from bu ging when orce is applied from the inside,

5. In combination a car door, a latch thereon, wheels supporting said door, a track having aperturesv in the bottom thereof .for exit of water, said track supporting said wheels and pivotally bolts, means whereb of engagement wit mounted upon hearing the track is moved out the wheels when the door is moved to a closed position and-a second means whereby the track is'moved into engagement with the wheels to open the door and a rest upon said door for supporting the same when the door is closed, and a further means for preventing the opening of the door when the track is out of engagement with the wheels.

6. In combination, a car door'supported at its base by means of rollers upon a track and having means for automatically freeing its rollers from said track and automatically locking when moved to a closed position, said locking means comprising spaced members carried by said door adjacent its base.

7. In combination, a car door, means for elevating and lowering said door, a second means for preventing lowering of the door beyond a predetermined point, and supporting means comprising a track and rollers upon the track, said track being pivotally supported upon a series of studs and capable of being shifted out of and into engagement with the rollers of the door.

8. In combination, a car door, means for elevating and lowering said door, a second means for preventing lowering of the door beyond a predetermined point, door supporting means comprising a track and rollers'upon the track, said track being pivotally supported upon a series of studs, and leverage means for throwing the track out of and into engagement with the rollers of the door.

9. In combination, a car door, means for elevating and lowering said door, a second means for preventing lowering of the door beyond a predetermined point, a supporting out of engagement with the door, and a projection upon the door for seating upon the lower retaining means when the track is moved out of engagement with the rollers of the door.

11. In combination, a car door having upper and lower retaining means independent of its mounting, means for elevating and lowering said door, a further means for preventing the lowering of the door beyond a predetermined point, supporting means comprising a track and rollers upon the track, means for moving the track into and out of engagement with the door, and ta pered projectlons on the door adapted for cooperation with stop members on the lower retaining means to prevent opening of the door when supported off its rollers, and further adapted to maintain a tight fit between the door and the side of the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature the presence of two witnesses.

LONNIE THOMAS PENNY.

Witnesses:

H. R. STAKES,

J. E. COLTON} 

